Portable electronic devices continue to get smaller and incorporate more functions. It is well known to incorporate the functions of a traditional personal digital assistant (“PDA”) with wireless email capability into a single device, the Blackberry™ from Research in Motion of Waterloo, Canada being an example of a portable electronic device. It is also known to incorporate wireless voice functionality, music and video players into portable electronic devices.
As more features and functions are incorporated into portable electronic devices, it becomes very difficult to configure the controls and display of the device to maximize usability. Increasingly, cameras are being incorporated into portable electronic devices, which present unique challenges for enhancing device usability.
Indeed, in order to enhance the usability of the device, and yet maintain the small form factor that is desired to ensure portability, input devices on the device should serve multiple purposes. For example, the Blackberry™ 7100 portable electronic device, and its predecessors, comprises a trackwheel positioned on the side of the portable electronic device. The trackwheel can be actuated with the thumb, while the user holds the device and views the device display, to scroll through menus and can be inwardly depressed to make menu selections. Those skilled in the art appreciate that the trackwheel can be a very useful multi-purpose input device for a portable electronic device.
However, when incorporating a camera into a portable electronic device, the trackwheel becomes a problem, as the lens for the camera is typically situated on the rear of the portable electronic device. When the user grasps the portable electronic device to orient the thumb so as to operate the trackwheel, the user's index finger could obscure the camera lens as he or she grasps the portable electronic device. Indeed, those skilled in the art will recognize that the traditional form factor for a camera is radically different than for a cellular telephone or personal digital assistant, as the traditional camera form factor is designed for usability as it relates to the capturing of photographic images, whereas the form factor of a cellular telephone or personal digital assistant is designed for the usability of conducting telephonic communications or text-based display interactions.
Another aspect of the prior art is that features of camera functionality, such as zoom on/off, flash on/off, are generally initiated on prior art cameras via a separate physical button that is uniquely dedicated to that particular camera function. However, on a portable electronic device where the primary functions are communicating (e.g. telephone calls and email) the device lacks buttons that are dedicated as primary inputs for camera functions. Thus, it is important to use the existing keys and controllers on the device for the camera functions. However, use of such keys should be intuitive for the user.
While it is known to combine the features of a camera into a cellular telephone and/or a personal digital assistant, the usability of prior art devices still leaves much to be desired.